Hi Friends.
I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Sunday, I have certainly enjoyed it so far.
Last night having shut the boat up for the evening, we settled down to watch the TV. Sadly Saturday nights has become rather boring, but we were sat watching Primeval when I thought I head the bagpipes. Keith thought it was coming from the TV program, but having pressed the mute button on the handset, we soon realised it was coming from the Foxton Locks Inn. It was either a wedding reception, Caley or for Burns Night, which is celebrated on the 25th January. A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. It is sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night. Anyway whatever was being celebrated, the Bagpipes were centre stage all evening playing some well known tunes.
At 8pm, I stoked all the fires and made them up for the night, did the washing up and laid the bed down for the night to air. Because our bed rolls up into a cupboard, I have to lay it out each evening so it can air for a couple of hours before we climb beneath the duvet.
By 9pm Keith was snoozing and I was not far from doing the same. I had turned the Tv on to Film4 for Predator, but having begun to watch it, I was really ready for my bed, so disturbed Keith from his sleep to let him know I was heading off to bed. I think it is true to say we were both asleep no sooner our heads hit the pillow, but my sleep was short lived when I was woken by a loud clatter from the boat moored across the canal. I decided it was probably the gentelman coming back from the pub drunk again. He was drunk for most of the day, having to be helped back to his boat by the pub staff. People never learn that being drunk and living on a boat do not really go together. Lives have been lost because of the combination. Anyway I was awake and no sooner his clattering was over, the Bagpipes started up again and this time they were blasting out 'Amazing Grace', then there was rapturous applause and I drifted back off to sleep.
Morning seemed to arrive far to quickly for my liking, as it read 7am on the clock when I woke up. I got up and made us a cuppa, which of course we drank in bed. The topic of converstation this morning was the Volunteer Open Day held at the locks yesterday. Keith and I are both keeping an open mind to whether it will work. We are both prepared to do our bit to make sure it is going to work and discussed ways we could help. It was soon time to get out from beneath the warm duvet, because Paddy needed walking. Whilst I walked him, I multi-tasked and took the rubbish to the bins, but just as I walked over the swing bridge George one of the BW workmen was bow hauling a hopper towards the swing bridge and he asked if I would mind opening it for him. He threw me what he thought was his BW key, but it would not open the bridge, so I ran back to the boat and got mine. I opened the bridge for George and closed it behind him and let him go about his business. We first met George yesterday at the Volunteer Day, he was moving a BW work boat up the flight. George was born and bought up on the boats. His parents owned Batterseaand were working it up until the 1960's. George and his family moved on to dry land when he was 6 years old. Battersea a Big Woolwich is now in private ownership and has been converted from a working boat into a liveaboard. There are so few real boat people left these days, that I would love to sit down with George and have a conversation about his childhood on the boats.
By the time we got back to the boat, Keith had cooked Poached Eggs on Toast for breakfast.
Having made up the fires for the day, I opened up the hold and put some of our wares on the roof of the boat, hoping that we may get a few sales. The downside to this was there were no boats on the move today as such, so therefore no sales.
Whilst we have been moored up for the weekend, I put out the bird feeders in a hope that I could encourage some of our feathered friends to come and visit. I was not to be disappointed.
As I was watching the bird feeders, I spotted this little Tree Creeper on Rainbow Bridge looking for bugs. It was not so much a tree creeper, but more like a bridge creeper. Unfortunately I did not get a very good photograph, because it did not hang around for long.
I had much more luck with the bird feeders. This little Robin was happy enough to pick up what the Blue Tits dropped.
The Robin sat in the bush just waiting its turn to eat from the fat feeder. Robins really are such majestic little birds, with oodles of character. Overnight I had left out some meatballs to defrost. Tonights dinner was to be Spagetti Bolognaise with meatballs. I fried the balls on the back stove and then added Onions, Garlic and an Oxo Cube. Once that was all combined I poured in a tin of Tomatoes and the magic ingredient, a glass and a half of Red Wine. I only had a bottle of Red Wine on the boat, because we won it before Christmas, so it was now being put to good use. I may even have a glass of it to go with dinner later. The Bolognaise has been cooking in the back cabin stove all day, with the most wonderful smell filling the cabin. I would not be surprized if it made a few of the gongoozlers hungry as they passed by.
Foxton Locks was busy with walkers and Gongoozlers just out to see what the locks were all about. Some were treated to a boat coming down the flight, infact the one and only boat that has come down the flight all day. It turned out to be Rob and Sian on NB Dragon, I found this out when I took Paddy for a walk up the flight and was surprized to see them coming down. Rob was more alarmed at the amount of water coming down the flight. The side ponds were full to almost overflowing, he was so worried that he asked me if he had done the paddles properly. I told him as long as he always does Red first and then walk back up to do White he will be fine. I helped them down a few of the locks, before Paddy and I headed back to the boat. The gongoozlers gathered around the locks to watch Rob bring the boat down and out into the pool. It must have made their day. Of course for us it is nothing new.
As the afternoon wore on, the temperature began to drop like a stone, so we put away our wares and shut the boat up against the plummeting temperature. As I type this I am still open for business, but I am not standing outside freezing my toes off, if customers need me they can knock on the boat.
Dinner is cooked and for pudding I have made a Chocolate and Raisin Tiffin, which I will have as it is and Keith can have it with Custard.
Right 'Smokey and the Bandit' is on the TV, so I am off now.
Chat soon xx
The second tit to arrive was the Great Tit (Parus major). Another pretty little bird, who tends to be a little bit bossy when it comes to whose first on the feeders. The Great Tit is the largest of the tit family, hence their name. In winter it joins with blue tits and others to form roaming flocks which scour gardens and countryside in search of food.
All the tits were very welcome on my feeders, I did spot a Chaffinch and a Brambling, but could not get a photograph of either of them, so will have to try again when they are around.
Of the Tit family the Long Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)is my favourite. It is such an agile and active little bird, usally found in hedgerows and woodland. It tends to stay in flocks as there is safety in numbers. 
Last night having shut the boat up for the evening, we settled down to watch the TV. Sadly Saturday nights has become rather boring, but we were sat watching Primeval when I thought I head the bagpipes. Keith thought it was coming from the TV program, but having pressed the mute button on the handset, we soon realised it was coming from the Foxton Locks Inn.
Whilst we have been moored up for the weekend, I put out the bird feeders in a hope that I could encourage some of our feathered friends to come and visit. I was not to be disappointed.
